At least she was able to enjoy the finish line.

The last meters over the carpet, through the narrow canal, the line of spectators, the many hands stretched out to her.

But her smile on the finish line only lasted for a moment before her legs could hardly carry her anymore.

She was probably "away for a short time", Daniela Bleymehl described her moment of weakness shortly afterwards.

On the “longest day of the year”, as the Ironman Frankfurt is often called, she had to endure some lows and valleys.

But in the end, after 9:02:55 hours, the Darmstadt native triumphed in her home race, her sixth success in a long-distance triathlon race of this magnitude.

In terms of score, it was the perfect home game for the mother-of-two, but it wasn't one, in overdrive, as had previously been speculated.

The competitor was manageable in terms of quantity and quality, but Bleymehl had to struggle with health problems and some strange breakdowns on “a strange day”, as she put it.

At this 20th edition of the Frankfurt race, it even looked like a Hessian double success for men and women.

Paul Schuster from Darmstadt took the lead in the men's race shortly after switching to the running track on the banks of the Main.

But in the end the athlete from TuS Griesheim was even just pushed off the podium.

At 40 kilometers, Schuster had to let Frenchman Clément Mignon go, only 29 seconds behind.

"I would have taken that before the race," said the 33-year-old, who classified the result as "bitter" due to the close race.

“The atmosphere was amazing”

But that didn't spoil the experience of this race day after 3.8 kilometers of swimming in the Langener Waldsee, 185 cycling in Wetterau and the Main-Kinzig district and a marathon run on the Frankfurt Main bank.

“The atmosphere was incredible.

It's crazy how often I've heard my name," said Schuster, who stayed just under the eight-hour mark and achieved the best Hessian result since former world champion Patrick Lange took third place in 2018.

The South Hessian had already secured his qualification for the World Championships in Hawaii in October.

"If I'm a little more consistent at the end, I'll be competitive there too," said Schuster.

Daniela Bleymehl obviously found it difficult to climb down from the winner's podium.

It was a race day that left its mark and made her refrain from planning to attack the Frankfurt cycling record and complete the marathon in under three hours.

It started early in the morning with a moment of shock when the athlete from DSW Darmstadt realized that she had forgotten her cycling shoes.

When this mishap could be remedied by her husband, who drove home quickly, she started the competition with great concentration.

As an excellent cyclist, she caught up with the previously leading compatriot Carolin Lehrieder (she had to retire shortly afterwards with a defect) and steered towards a lonely race at the top.

She gave a funny picture when she took one too many drinking bottles on board at a refreshment station on her bike - and then, holding them in her hands or between her teeth, transported them to the transition area on the banks of the Main.

But already at this point, about halfway through the bike ride, Bleymehl had been struggling with nausea, and on the run, the symptoms persisted from 15 kilometers on, as she said.

She had doubts whether she could get through this - in 2019 her stomach problems had spoiled the Frankfurt race.

Weak occupation of the women's field

Despite everything, the South Hessian kept her lead over her first pursuer, Briton Nikki Bartlett (2:26 minutes later at the finish), constant at over four minutes.

Only on the last few kilometers did it melt down a bit.

But even if not everything went smoothly that day, it was a big win in Bleymehl's career.

"In terms of sport, you always want more, but I'm just happy to have made it through," she said when she regained her strength after crossing the finish line.

The fact that their time of over nine hours was enough to win was of course also due to the weak field in the women's field.

Also due to short-term cancellations due to corona infections, only six women with a professional license stood on the beach of the Langener Waldsee, only four reached the finish line.

Numbers that were not worthy of a race that until recently also had European Championship status for women.

Oliver Schiek, the head of Ironman Germany, described this as "not dramatic" and believes that things will certainly look different again next year.

Especially since many top players were tied up this year by two world championships.

After the title fights in Utah in spring, which were made up for during the Corona period, the championship in Hawaii will follow on the usual date in October.

Daniela Bleymehl wants to present herself even better there than in Frankfurt.

"Even though it felt crappy today, it was another step up from April," she said.

In the spring, after the birth of her second child, she made her comeback at Ironman South Africa - and won.

With the secure Hawaii qualification behind her, she now followed up with the home win on the Main.

A special achievement considering their daughter Alicia will be one in two weeks and she hasn't slept through the night since.

A period of rest should now follow.

"Now," said Bleymehl, "it's time for a break."